Legend of Zelda: Oath of Shadows
by The Forsaken Prince
Summary: After the defeat of Ganon and Vaati, Hyrule is plagued by a Great War, where many perish. The land is left in ruin while there is no Hero to be found. Evil will soon return, and it will be in a place that nobody expects it... (Note: Takes place after Four Swords Adventures)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Before

Since the beginning of Hyrule, the people have told **Legends**. These legends all in some form pay tribute to the Trinity of Goddesses, the omnipotent creators of all things. They gave birth to the land, its people, and the vast abilities that many possess. They loved their creations, and they wished for them to prosper, so they each gave a portion of their **Power** to the land so that it could be used for peace.

However, not all the legends were calm.

Many spoke of a **Great Evil** that was destined to arrive in Hyrule, and that it would stop at nothing to gain the power and destroy life as it was known. Many times have the legends spoke of it, and each time its arrival was matched by that of another...

One destined to fight the Evil, to purge the land from its corruption. A **Hero**.

Throughout the ages, many heroes have risen to fight in the face of adversity, and they have always triumphed. One such legend spoke of not one, but **Four** heroes who banded together to defeat **Two** forces of Evil, and trapped them in their sword. The Great Land of Hyrule rejoiced, for the evil plaguing them was gone. But their happiness was short-lived, for the four heroes left Hyrule, never to return.

The land soon became tarnished, as those who had dutifully followed the Great Evil swore eternal revenge on all of Hyrule. A **Great War** emerged, where both sides suffered many losses. All life would have been lost, had the **Followers** not retreated. They left the eyes of Hyrule, swearing that they would return.

The Kingdom was left in shambles. Life had become a struggle for food and shelter. Many turned to thievery, and the once proud land of Hyrule descended into darkness. No hero had come to save them, and the Evil was sure to return…but what would happen to them?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Chance…

The sunlight slowly shifted through the window, heralding a new morning. The small room was gradually illuminated, the various items strewn about the floor clearly visible. A bed was placed at the far side of the room, directly in the path of the sunlight. It slowly fell on the face of a young man. He had light blonde hair, long-pointed ears, and a long string of drool dripping from his lips.

A door on the side of the room opened to reveal a tall woman with red hair and brown eyes. She looked at the person sleeping in the bed and smiled. _They grow up so fast…_

She slowly walked over to the bed and placed her hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Link…Link…wake up."

"Mrrrrrrrrrrrph…"

"Link, sweetie, wake up. It's your 19th Birthday today."

"Mmmmmmmm, I don't care…"

"Alright, I'll let you sleep a bit longer."

The woman rose from the bed and exited the room. Link slowly smiled. His mother was being nice again. It was his 19th Birthday, and she was letting him sleep in.

Best. Present. Ever.

She didn't usually let him sleep in. She usually just…

_SPLUSH!_

Link screamed and jumped out of bed, wide awake, as a large amount of water was thrown on top of him.

"Hey! What the heck?!"

His mother stood at the door, bucket in hand.

"I said I'd give you a bit longer, you should have taken that time to better prepare yourself!"

Link laughed and smiled grimly. "You know, I will get you back one of these days, and you won't even expect it!"

Her smile instantly disappeared and was replaced with a frown. "Try it, and you are grounded mister, and I don't mean regular grounding; I will get your old Deku nanny to come over here and shove you into the ground!"

Link immediately straightened up. Her mother loved to joke around, but nobody pulled a prank on her and escaped her wrath.

"Get dressed, quickly! I need you to take the fishing pole to your father and brother at the lake. They forgot it…again."

She left the room and Link eased up. He walked over to his closet and opened the door. Inside laid a new set of green clothes complete with a cap. It was a traditional garb for young men to wear once they reached 19. He remembered the night before when his parents had presented it to him and his brother. They only had enough material for one outfit, and his brother insisted that Link have it. It was, as he said, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too dorky for my taste!"

Link slowly put on the outfit, making sure everything fit perfectly. He placed the cap on his head and looked in the mirror on the door of his closet.

"Wow. I do look dorky in this thing." But he really didn't care! He was 19, carefree, and going to have the time of his life!

"Link, honey! Are you ready?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm ready!"

Link started to walk towards the door then quickly stopped and jumped to the side, just as a bucket of water came sailing through the air and landed on the floor.

His mother slowly peered in and looked at him. "Damn, the boy's getting smarter…"

* * *

Link checked his pack before he left the house.

"Okay. The fishing pole for dad, a little health potion for me, burn ointment for the inevitable, the village entrance amulet…Yep, that's it!"

He started towards the door when he heard his mother's voice.

"Link? Be back soon okay?"

"Alright, mom!"

"And tell your father not to spend too much time in the sun! You know how easily he burns!"

"Sure thing mom!"

"And, Link?"

"Yeah?!" Link turned around to see his mother standing behind him.

She slowly looked him up and down, seeing that her boy no longer existed, and in his place was a fine young man. Tears slowly came to her eyes. She reached out and hugged her son. "I love you."

Link smiled and hugged her back. "I love you too mom."

He then smiled and stepped out of the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small string slip free and slip upwards. He looked up just in time to see a bucket of water crashing down on top of him, drenching his new clothes.

"Ahahaha! Oh my gods, you actually fell for it! Ahahahahahaha! Oh the others at my book club are definitely going to hear about this!"

Link lunged for her just as the door closed making him hit his head on the wood. He could hear his mother's laughter from within.

"Heehee! Love you honey!"

"Grrrr…Lies! Lies, the lot of it!"

He slowly made his way down the street.

"I swear I will get her back! Deku or no Deku!"

* * *

Markus looked through his pack with all the grace of a wolverine.

"Okay, I have Link's gift here, but where is my fishing pole?"

He slapped himself on the forehead as he remembered laying it near his bedside the previous night so he would remember it, then waking up the next morning, stepping on the pole, and wondering who the heck put it there. He leaned back onto the small hut behind him, disgusted at his terrible memory.

"You shouldn't do that dad."

Markus looked up to see Link standing in front of him, carrying his forgotten pole.

"Every time you facepalm, you lose vital brain cells, making you more like the one to whom you facepalm."

"Yeah, yeah! I have enough brain cells as it is. What's one or two lost now and again?"

"Did you remember your burn ointment?"

Markus slapped his hand on his forehead again, leaving a red mark.

"Ooh, I think you got three with that one!" Link handed over the ointment to his now annoyed father.

"Hmph! Maybe I shouldn't give you your present today. You're much too rude to deserve it!"

"Oh come on dad!" Link got on his knees and looked into his father's eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "You wouldn't do that to me on my Birthday!"

Markus took one look into his eyes and gave up. "Fine, you can have it, but only if you can answer this question. Ergherm! Why are you all wet?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Good point. I've been married to her for 14 years, and I should know what to expect."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny purple box. He handed it to his son, who just stared downward at it.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well…open it!"

Link pulled apart a small clasp at the bottom and opened the box. Inside was a tiny brass key.

"Uhhhhh, a key?"

"Yes, a key! Happy Birthday son!"

The two stared at each other for a second, Link with a face of confusion and Markus with a face of elation.

Markus dropped the smile in a quick sigh. "Well fine! I guess you'll be wanting what the key goes to as well."

He reached back into his pack and pulled out a longer purple box with a small keyhole.

"Here is your real present."

Link took the box and fitted the key into the hole. He slowly opened the box and a large smile broke out on his face. He reached inside and pulled out a newly crafted blade, perfectly balanced and easy to wield.

Markus quietly hummed a rising four-note tune. "Dee, dee, dee, DEE!"

"Uhh…what was that?"

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing! So, how does it feel?"

Link began to slash the air with the blade. "It feels amazing! It's much better than the academy swords!"

"Yes. This is why we couldn't make two sets of clothes for you and your brother. I hope you like it."

"Like it? I love…"

Just then a guttural scream was heard and the two looked upward to see a figure drop from the top of the hut, burying his sword tip in the ground.

Link threw the fishing pole aside and brought his sword up in a defensive position. The figure started to laugh deeply. He slowly raised himself and turned around until he faced Link.

He was tall with shocking red hair and bright yellow eyes. However his most distinctive feature was his skin… It was a dark green in color, as if something rotten had stained it. He smiled, showing his rows of neatly curved teeth, and then spoke.

"That's a nice sword you have there." His voice was deep and had a slight knowledgeable curve to it. "Care to test it out?"

He quickly lunged at Link who had only seconds to parry the attack and steady himself again. The green-skinned figure turned back and attacked again. This time Link was able to move out of the way. He raised up his sword and brought it down, only to hit the other sword in a clash of metal.

"My, my. Somebody knows a bit about dueling, but let's see how well you face up against a bit of magic."

The figure then jumped back and raised the palm of his hand. A small yellow ball of energy shot out of it towards Link. He slashed his sword and directed it back at his assailant, just to have him hit it back towards Link.

The ball caught the edge of his sword and sent it flying out of his hand. As Link turned back to see it, he knew he had made a mistake. He quickly whipped around in time to see the ball of energy zip right into his face, rudely shocking him.

The green figure laughed. "Hehehehe! I'm guessing not so well after all, eh?"

Link quickly reached into his pack and brought out his health potion. He downed the contents then raised the bottle in a sword position.

"Really?" the figure asked. "Well okay then, fight with a glass bottle. I don't mind."

The figure launched another ball of energy towards Link, who parried it back with a swing of his bottle. It hit the surprised green figure right where the other orb had hit Link. He dropped his sword on the ground in shock.

"Grrrrr…alright! Now you get hurt!" He opened his eyes to see that Link had reclaimed his…fishing pole?

"Okay, you're going to catch me a fish for dinner before I kill you? How thoughtful!"

Link pulled back his arms and cast the pole, letting the hook stick into the hut right above the figure's head. "Okay," he said as he stared at it, "was that supposed to do anything useful?"

He looked back to see a rearmed Link charging at him full force. He was knocked over onto his back while Link stood over him.

Link raised his sword over the flattened man and plunged downward in triumph.

* * *

The sword was stuck firmly in place. Link was breathing heavily, and the green figure's mouth was open in an expression of disbelief. He looked over to his left, where the sword was stuck into the ground inches from his head.

The figure slowly got up and walked over to the exhausted Link.

Link looked up into the figure's eyes and smiled. "Beat 'cha!"

The figure slowly smiled himself and began to laugh. "Ahahaha, yeah you did! I thought you were done for in the beginning, but you really turned it around! What was that thing with the bottle? I never knew you could do that!"

"Hehehe, and the way I distracted you with the fishing pole! Hook, line, and…

"Finish that joke and I cut your head off!"

Markus stepped out from where he had been calmly waiting for the fight to conclude. "Alright you two, you've had your fun, now help me put this burn ointment on!" His skin was already a deep shade of red, even though the whole encounter took less than five minutes.

Link and the green man groaned in unison. "Yes, dad!"

"Now no complaining out of you two, even if it is your birthday!"

The green man took a look at what his brother was wearing and said, "But father, this man could not possibly be my brother! His clothes are much too dorky!"

"Oh shut up! Besides, who're you calling dorky? I'm not the one who looks like a Holiday Tree gave birth to me. I mean really! Aren't twins supposed to look alike?"

"You're just jealous that I look cooler and have a deeper voice."

"I am no-OIGH-t!" Link's voice cracked as he said this.

"Ha! You wanna say something else, runt?"

"Both of you shut up!" Markus yelled from the small hut. "Get in here and help me with this goop! You can get my arms and legs, I'll get my chest and…uhh…other regions." He quickly walked inside, his face become slightly redder despite the burn.

Link looked at his brother. "How did he get burnt…?"

His bother put a hand on his shoulder. "Some questions are best left unanswered, my friend."

"Boys?!"

"Coming, dad!"


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3: Lactose Intolerance

The two young men emerged from the small hut with a disgusted look on their faces. Whether it was from the foul stench emanating from the lake that morning, the large pile of horse manure that had accumulated nearby, or-most likely-the fact that they just rubbed burn ointment on their father, only they would know.

"Alright then," the green-skinned youth said, "this is not how I imagined my 19th Birthday would go. In truth, I imagined a lot more partying, a lot more girls fawning over me, and a very trace amount of any ointment of any kind!"

Markus emerged behind the two. "Oh, be quiet, Galaan! I had to do it to my father, his to his, his to his, and so on. I didn't complain, and neither should you! I'll have you know that…"

Galaan sighed. He hated it when his father started lecturing. He had actually learned to tune it out a few years back, and it cleared him of most of his headaches. At the moment, he was thinking of the various ways he could spend his time now that he was 19.

_Okay, I might be able to go down to the Combat Academy and challenge the Master again. That would be awesome! I could go to the music hall and practice on the town organ. I've always liked that instrument for some reason… And, of course, I could also go to…_

"…to your Uncle Talon's ranch!"

_Wait, what?_

"Galaan, are you listening to me? I said that your Uncle Talon needs some help at his ranch. I need you and your brother to go out and help him."

Galaan did a quick mental rundown of what would transpire at his Uncle's ranch. _Of course, he'll greet Link first. 'Oh, how tall and strong you have become. Amazing, you still have both arms! Keep them close, because losing them will cost you an arms worth! Ahahahahaha!' Then he'll greet me with as little words as possible, then it's out to the fields! How could I ever NOT want to go?_

"Uhh, actually father, I had hoped to go…"

"To your Uncle's ranch like I just said. Thanks son! I'll see you two later, I'm going to catch us some dinner here."

Galaan looked at his father as he walked back to the hut. He still had his mouth open where he was about to finish his sentence. He sighed and walked over to his brother.

"It's pointless trying to argue with him, isn't it?"

"Dude, you're 19 and you still haven't figured that out?" Link laughed and started down the path back to the village.

"I really hate going to that ranch. You know what? I don't care what he says, I'm not going!"

"Oh, boys!" Markus's voice came out of the hut. "I need more burn ointment!"

The two brothers looked at each other in a state of horror and screamed in unison.

"Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!"

* * *

Link looked at the trees growing around them as they walked towards the village gate. He had always loved trees, and he often wondered what it would be like to be inside of one. Better yet, to live in one! He was shaken from his reverie as the brothers approached the guards.

They were both the exact same height, wore the exact same clothes, had the same color hair, and talked in the same voice. The only way anybody told them apart was the wart that each had on his nose. Morg, the eldest, had a wart on the left of his nose, while Korg, the youngest, had a wart on the right side. The two immediately straightened up as Link and Galaan approached. They brandished their pole arms clumsily, bumping them into each other as they struggled to look presentable.

"Duh, who goes…uh…there?" Morg asked.

"Nobody gets through without…ummmmm…the thingy!" Korg proclaimed.

Link and Galaan pulled out their entrance amulets and presented them to the guards, who spent a moment looking at them to make sure they were real.

"Duh…okay," said Morg, "you can go in."

"But no…ummmmm…trouble!"

"Don't worry guys, we won't cause any trouble." Galaan reassured. "We just need to pass through to get to the ranch."

The guards nodded and opened the gates, allowing them to pass through into the village.

Link looked around. Kakariko Village was as nice as a place could get in troubled times. There was a healthy water supply, the ranch provided milk and various other products, a town hall was built in the center, and the Combat Academy prepared young men and women to fend for themselves beyond the walls. However, the village itself was not that beautiful. Nobody grew trees in the village. Many people had tried, but the trees always died before they reached their full growth cycle. It was unnatural, as each tree died at the exact same schedule. To the minute, a tree's life was numbered in the village, and it always died no matter what.

Link sighed. _I guess it must be an after-effect of the war. What I don't get though is why it's only in the village…_

"What in the name of the Goddesses is that?"

Link's thoughts were interrupted by a very startled Galaan, who was looking at the sky with a confused look on his face. Link followed his sight and soon wore the same expression.

In the sky was what appeared to be a small man in bright green tights strapped to a large red balloon. He was writing on a small tablet and slightly chuckled at nothing in particular.

"Do you think he needs help?"

"Only one way to find out." Galaan pulled a slingshot from his pack and loaded a rock. He aimed it at the balloon and fired. The balloon popped and the green-clothed man appeared to hang in to air for a second before dropping with a wail.

Link and Galaan ran over to where the man had fallen. He seemed to be alright, but wobbled around slightly.

Link slowly approached him and asked, "Are you alright, sir?"

The small man suddenly sprang up in a blast of sparkles and shouted, "Tingle, Lingle, Koo-Loo Limpah! I couldn't be better, you wonderful boy! You see, I recently discovered that I am a fairy!"

Galaan's eyes opened wide at this. "Uhhhhhhhhhh, what?"

"It is true! I am a fairy, well at least a reincarnated one, and I can go to a magical place where Rupees are vast and abundant! Care to join me in this, my great endeavor?"

Link and Galaan took one look at each other and nodded. Galaan stepped up and powerfully kicked the small man. He sailed over the village wall and into the forest with a wail.

"Thanks for that, brother. He would have driven me insane had you not done that."

"It wasn't just for you, Link. I flat-out refuse to be in the same FanFiction as that creep!"

"Agreed. Let's hope the author is done writing about him, shall we?"

"Okay. Wait, dang it! I lost the plot in that mess. Where were we?"

"Uhhhh, hang on. Let me check." Link pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the page. "Uh, here we are! We're headed to Uncle Talon's ranch."

"Oh yeah. We should get… wait, what?! The end of the chapter? Really?!"


End file.
